LANXESS increases black pigment capacity

Debottlenecking at the world’s largest plant for synthetic iron oxide pigments

Cologne, December 2, 2020 – Specialty chemicals company LANXESS has expanded its capacity for black synthetic iron oxide pigments at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site by more than 5,000 metric tons per year. “The increased demand from the construction industry, in particular for our unique black pigments to color concrete, can be even better met with the debottlenecking measures that have now been completed,” says Holger Hüppeler, head of the Inorganic Pigments business unit at LANXESS. The company is thus continuing the systematic expansion of its production capacities for synthetic iron oxide pigments. LANXESS is the only supplier worldwide to produce these pigments using the Laux process.

Black is trending

In architecture and landscaping, the black coloration of concrete has been a trend for some time now. Concrete is a creative material, which provides a multitude of possibilities to building material producers, architects, and building contractors. With the use of suitable pigments, this applies not only to the architectural design of concrete, but especially to its coloration. “Thanks to their up to 15 percent higher tinting strength and reliable color consistency, our Bayferrox 330 and Bayferrox 340 black pigments are the preferred choice for coloring high-quality cement-based building materials – for example not only in manufacturing concrete paving stones and roof tiles, but also in architecture,” explains Hüppeler.

In addition, these special iron oxides from LANXESS offer further clear benefits. The pigments produced using the Laux process are the only synthetic iron oxides that are specially certified by an independent testing institute for safe use in ultra-high-strength concretes (UHPC). UHPC is used in construction projects where, for example, high load capacities and very lightweight, customized structures are required. And these high-quality pigments are also impressive when it comes to their sustainability credentials. They are certified for their high content of recycled raw materials by SCS Global Services, one of the leading companies for audits and independent certifications worldwide.

On the way to being more environmentally friendly

In Krefeld, LANXESS operates the world’s largest plant for manufacturing synthetic iron oxide pigments. The global importance of this site is confirmed every year by its extensive investment in capacity expansion and process optimization, as well as the continuous expansion of environmentally friendly production technologies.

Thanks to the unique Laux process, the production facility at the Krefeld-Uerdingen site already has an excellent carbon footprint. This is because this special chemical process uses the heat generated during the reaction to create steam, which is in turn used in the subsequent process steps. “Our goal is to use targeted measures to continuously reduce the CO₂ footprint of our pigments. In the future the energetic use of hydrogen, which is produced during the production process of our pigments and can be used as a substitute for fossil fuels, will also play an important role,” says Hüppeler. Specialty chemicals group LANXESS has set itself an ambitious climate protection target. By 2040, the group aims to become climate-neutral and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from the current level of around 3.2 million metric tons of CO₂. By 2030, LANXESS aims to cut its emissions by 50 percent to around 1.6 million metric tons of CO₂ compared with today.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.8 billion in 2019. The company currently has about 14,400 employees in 33 countries. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.

Forward-Looking Statements

This company release contains certain forward-looking statements, including assumptions, opinions, expectations and views of the company or cited from third party sources. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the actual results, financial position, development or performance of LANXESS AG to differ materially from the estimations expressed or implied herein. LANXESS AG does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors, nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the actual occurrence of the forecast developments. No representation or warranty (expressed or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, estimates, targets and opinions contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and accordingly, no representative of LANXESS AG or any of its affiliated companies or any of such person's officers, directors or employees accepts any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document.

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